Railway hopper car construction



Feb. 9, 1937.- GILPIN I 2,070,045

RAILWAY HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Fil ed Aug. 24, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheeb 1 1937- G. G. GILPIN ,070,045

RAILWAY HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet? Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNHTED STATES rarer orrics Metal Products Company,

Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware Application August 24, 1935, Serial No. 37,733

5 Claims.

The invention relates to railway freight cars and more particularly to open top hopper cars having sloping floors forming chutes with doors at the lower parts thereof for the discharge of the lading.

Such cars are frequently loaded with plastic ladings, such as coal, ore, chats, sand, etc., which are caused to move and shift by the sudden stopping or starting of the train. Such mobile ladings cause alternating periods of stress and relief when the train is moving over the track. These stresses are increased in force and number when the train moves at high speed over a rough track. Such alternating periods of stress and relief are known as breathing.

This breathing causes failure of the car where the sloping floor joins the end wall of the car, and an object of the invention is to provide means to reinforce the car structure at this place, which means can be integrally formed in the end wall and fioor sheet, respectively, in a reciprocating press without increasing the weight of the car or interfering with the free discharge of the lading.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an end view of a railway car equipped with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, on the left half shows a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, and on the right half shows a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the formed metallic plate comprising the end wall and part of the sloping floor with my improved strengthening feature.

Fig. 5 shows a modified construction.

The drawings illustrate a standard hopper car having spaced apart side walls 2, a sloping floor 3 between the side walls and an end wall 4 extending between the side walls from the floor to the top of the side walls and connected thereto. The usual stiffening members at the tops of the side (6) and end (1) walls, respectively, are shown. The end stifiener 1 projects outwardly from the car so as not to retain part of the lading when the car is turned upside down in a tipple. The corner post 9 forms a connection between the side and end walls and extends downwardly to and is supported by the underframe of the car. The end post It is secured to the end wall 4 and also extends to the underframe so as to support the floor and end wall.

In my improvement the central portion of the end wall 4 is embossed or bulged outwardly, which central portion I3 is preferably in substantially the same plane as the outer part of the end stiffener "i, whereby the cubical capacity of the car is increased without increasing the length of the car. Obviously neither the height nor width has been affected by this improved construction. The end wall 4 is preferably provided with marginal portions ---|6i'l in substantially a single plane, which portions are connected to the corner posts 9, top stiffener l and floor 3, respectively. This makes a very simpie pressing for a metallic plate between reciprocating dies.

The bulged central portion :3 is connected to the marginal portions by webs 20-2l22 which are inclined so that the car will discharge its load when turned upside down (or nearly so) in an unloading machineor tipple, as it is called.

The static and impact loads upon the floor of the car cause the floor to deflect'between the side walls of the car which draws the lower portion of the end wallinwardly (toward the car) and when such forces are momentarily or permanently relieved the floor and end wall assume their normal positions. This is the breathing heretofore described.

To overcome this difficulty I form the end wall and the portion 33 of the floor 3 adjacent the end wall I with a plurality of preferably spaced apart and preferably parallel corrugations 3i extending normally to the line of junction 32 of the end wall and floor. The upper ends of these corrugations 3! merge into the end wall 4 and the lower ends thereof merge into the floor sheet adjacent the floor stiffener 34 so that the stiffener forms an anchor for the lower ends of the corrugations. This floor stifiener 34 extends laterally of the car and is usually supported upon the underframe of the car by substantially vertical posts 35.

The parts of the corrugations in the end wall are preferably of constant width and preferably merge into the webs 2i of the bulged central. portion of the end wall. This web 24 forms a stiffener to anchor the corrugations to resist the breathing.

Fig. 5 shows a modification wherein the corrugations 31 project upwardly and also wherein they cross the web 2| and merge into the central portion I3 of the end wall.

The lower ends 38 of the corrugations preferably decrease in width as they merge into the floor, sheet which reduces the buckling tendency of the light sheet when being pressed between reciprocating dies.

The corrugations are preferably of maximum depth adjacent the juncture 32 of the end wall and floor sheet.

I preferably form the end wall (with or without the bulged central portion) and the corrugated portion of the floor, all in one metallic plate or sheet.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 7 g

1. An open top railway car having spaced apart side walls, a sloping floor and an end wall extending between the side walls, said end wall and the portion of the floor adjacent thereto formed with a plurality of corrugations extending across the junction of the wall and floor whereby breathing between the end wall and the floor is retarded, said corrugations having their upper ends merging into said end wall and their lower ends merging into said floor.

2. 'An open top railway car having spaced apart side walls, a sloping floor and an end 'wall extending between the side walls, the central por-- tion of said end wall being bulged outwardly so as to increase the cubical capacity of the car, said end wall and the portion of the floor adjacent thereto formed with a plurality of corrugations extending across the junction of the wall and floor whereby breathing between the end wall and the floor is retarded, said corrugations having their upper ends merging into the bulged portion of the end wall and their lower ends merging into said floor.

3. An open top railway car having spaced apart side walls, a sloping floor, a floor stifiener extending laterally of the car and an end wall extending between the side walls, said end wall and the portion of the floor adjacent thereto formed with a plurality of corrugations extending across the junction of the wall and floor whereby breath-- ing between the end wall and the floor is retarded, said corrugations having their upper ends merging into said end wall and their lower ends merging into said floor adjacent said stifiener.

4. An open top railway car having spaced apart side walls, a sloping floor, a floor stiffener extending laterally of the car and an end wall extending between the side walls, the central portion of said end wall being bulged outwardly so as to increase the cubical capacity of the car, said end wall and the portion of the floor adjacent thereto formed with a plurality of corrugations extending across .the junction of the wall and floor whereby breathing between the end wall and the floor is retarded, said corrugations having their upper ends merging into the bulged portion of the end wall and their lower ends merging into said floor adjacent said stiffener.

5. An open top railway car having spaced apart side walls, a sloping floor and an end wall extending between the side walls, said end wall and the portion of the floor adjacent thereto formed with a plurality of corrugations extending across the junction of the wall and floor whereby breathing between the end wall and the floor is retarded, said corrugations having their upper ends merging into said end wall and their lower ends merging into said floor, the parts of said corrugations in the end Wall being of constant width and the parts of said corrugations in the floor decreasing in width and height until they merge into the floor.

GARTH G. GILPIN". 

